Owl Consultancy Group

Go check out the seventeenth episode of Lurking in the Fog with Ícaro Avelar, a prominent crypto lawyer with expertise on the latest trends in blockchain and Web3! With his knowledge of cryptocurrency and its role in illicit activities on the dark web, Ícaro provides a cautionary tale of the Silk Road as a well-intentioned, initially legal online market gone wrong. He exposes the sheer scope of the Silk Road at its worst, ranging from drug-related scams to trading military vehicles...and more. Ready to find out what lurks within the fog? Be sure to subscribe! Spotify: spoti.fi/3Z6V8OD Apple Podcasts: apple.co/4cTWOhH As always, don't hesitate to shoot us a hoot should you need any investigative assistance! 🦉 #crypto #blockchain #Web3 #fraud #scam #drugs #weapons #war #darkweb #bitcoin #USA #EU

So you've partnered with a company abroad… but did you do your due diligence? You’ve just signed a new client abroad. Everything seems to be above board - a preliminary check shows that they have an office in a good location, the higher-ups check out, and the company has been operating consistently for a while. You feel secure in your new venture. ✅ We’ve had clients contact us before who experienced scenarios like this. Everything is smooth on the surface, but once you dig deeper, the facade begins to crack. It sometimes takes a little more due diligence to get to the bottom of organizational issues. A potential client could be registered in a dynamic Asian city where you’d like to do business. But only when you delve a little deeper and perhaps even have your investigators do a drive-by do you realize that the address is in fact a dilapidated property. And only when you have investigators who know the local language can you find out that this is actually a front for a local criminal organization. It can happen anywhere. But if you don’t have the language or the cultural insights, it can be hard to carry out a thorough investigation. Due diligence is more than just a background check. It’s a must-do for companies seeking to operate globally, whether it’s verifying information supplied by third parties, or following up on red flags and risk factors. 🚩 Frustratingly, there is no regulatory guidance about how deep you need to dig, but the risks of just a cursory check are too great.  What kind of clarity do you need? You should have identifying information about the beneficial owners and figures of influence of the company you’re doing business with. Thorough references, and full disclosure of any civil, criminal, and regulatory issues, signed off by a responsible party, are also important. What you’re trying to establish is if your client has an authentic business profile, and if any conflicts of interest and bankruptcy or solvency issues exist. There might be even more serious issues at play, if your partner or client has a murky history littered with litigation, criminal investigations, fraud, corruption, or product safety issues, for example. Have the key executives been investigated to ensure they aren’t associated with organized crime, terrorist groups, money laundering, bribery or corruption? These are all elements we take into account when we conduct specialized investigations for our clients. We dig a little deeper and shine a light in those dark corners. Because the integrity of your business is at stake. 🛡️ 🦉Want to know more? Shoot us a hoot 

Join us for our next mini-webinar on September 10, at 10am EST. The topic will be "Child Trafficking: Voices from the Dark Side" Be sure to reserve the date and your spot here: https://lnkd.in/e7UjNanz

Go check out the sixteenth episode of Lurking in the Fog with Jim Crotty, Senior Fellow at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS) and former Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration! Mr. Crotty has overseen elite intelligence analyst teams in drug trafficking, cyber crime, and money laundering investigations. Most notably, in 2010, he served in Afghanistan with DEA's Foreign Advisory and Support Team on deconflicting counterdrug operations. Mr. Crotty has also addressed drug-related matters in the United Kingdom and Ireland from 2013 to 2018. Ready to find out what lurks within the fog? Be sure to subscribe! Spotify: spoti.fi/3YKXDGr Apple Podcasts: apple.co/3WY7HcK As always, don't hesitate to shoot us a hoot should you need any investigative assistance! 🦉 #drugs #AML #USA #Mexico #weapons #gangs #trade #crime #shows

Join us for our next mini webinar in the Owl's Eye series focused on “Child Trafficking: Voices from the Dark Side”. Join us this coming September 10th along with our friend and expert Nicholas D. - Founder and CEO of Atlantic Counter Trafficking (“ACT NOW USA”) for this dark session that will delve into the dark world of child trafficking and the importance of conducting thorough investigations for rescue missions.   Date: Tuesday, September 10, 2024 Time: 10:00 amESTt. Registration Link: https://lnkd.in/e7UjNanz This event will be hosted live, and no recording will be made available, therefore be sure to tune in to build upon your investigative toolkit!

Did you miss our last mini-webinar with our CEO, Alexandra Solórzano, and our Director of Investigative Partnerships, Valeria F.? 😱 Well, here's a bit of a teaser from last session! 🤓 Don't forget to sign up for our upcoming webinar on August 13th at 10 am EST. The topic will be: "Golden Shadows: Unmasking the Global Network of Fraud, Smuggling, and Sanctions Evasion." Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eAsTH6MX As always, don't hesitate to shoot us a Hoot if you need any investigative assistance! 🦉 🕵♂️ #owlconsultancygroup #theowlseye #webinar #savethedate #investigations

Reminder 🚨 We are just a few days away from our fourth mini-webinar. If you have not yet registered, we invite you to do so, allowing you 15 minutes to learn more about the topic we will be tackling, "Golden Shadows: Unmasking the Global Network of Fraud, Smuggling, and Sanctions Evasion". 💡 📅 Date: Tuesday, August 13, 2024 ⏱ Time: 10:00 amESTt. 🔗 Registration link: https://lnkd.in/eAsTH6MX Let's shed light on the shadow world together. This event will be held live and no recordings will be available, so be sure to tune in to expand your research tools.

Go check out the fifteenth episode of Lurking in the Fog with Daren Firestone, former federal prosecutor and white house attorney! Daren is the preeminent expert in keeping the identity of crypto whistleblowers confidential. During his time in the United States Department of Justice Tax Division, Daren led scores of white collar criminal tax prosecutions and investigations involving healthcare fraud, government procurement fraud, bankruptcy, and identity theft. Ready to find out what lurks within the fog? Be sure to subscribe! Spotify: spoti.fi/4ccnom5 Apple Podcasts: apple.co/3LRnQvm As always, don't hesitate to shoot us a hoot should you need any investigative assistance! 🦉 #crypto #secrets #government #law #AML #fraud #tax #crime #USA #Harvard

Balancing risk and opportunity… welcome to the world of geopolitical investigations Whether you're looking to expand into new markets or you maintain a global supply chain, what’s happening beyond your borders will have a significant impact on your business. Taking your business global gives you the chance to exploit new opportunities and super-charge your growth, but one wrong decision could affect your reputation, your bottom line and may even lead to legal problems. So how do you balance risk and opportunity? You need to arm yourself with as much information as possible. Identifying and analyzing threats is an important part of managing geopolitical risk. 🎯 It starts with a country risk analysis. When you enter a new market, you need to know the lay of the land. For example, an in-depth analysis could tell you that Argentina’s economy has been contracting for six years. Ongoing corruption trials and a polarized political situation also indicate socioeconomic instability. Or perhaps you’re looking to work in China. Culturally, you need to understand that the practice of guanxi is all about building connections through gift-giving and carrying out favours. However, this can be considered bribery. When you put that in the context of President Xi Jinping’s much-publicised crackdown on corruption, you need to tread very carefully. A geopolitical investigation can also look at physical security. You need investigators who speak the language and understand the cultural landscape to tell you more about the risk of conflict, war or even terrorism. Perhaps there is ethnic political tension in your chosen country, or criminal gangs operate with impunity. You need all the information to keep your personnel safe. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks are also something you need to consider. The recent severe flooding in Brazil and the increasingly frequent wildfires in Greece could affect your global supply chain. And have you checked if your potential business partners are upholding environmental standards and that there are no shortfalls in terms of governance and compliance? If you’re doing business in high-risk regions, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, you need to know how corruption, ethnic violence and human rights violations could affect you. Perhaps you operate in Taiwan, where there is the potential threat of conflict, or the UAE, which could be affected by the war between Hamas and Israel. In today’s globalised world, setting up operations in a different country offers fantastic opportunities to cut costs, grow into new markets and expand your operations. But it comes with risks. And the best way to manage risk is through preparation. Geopolitical investigations can help you do just that. At The Owl, we analyze countries and regions on your behalf, investigate potential partners, and can even check potential new hires to keep your reputation intact and your business operating optimally. Want to know more? Shoot us a hoot 

HOOT! 🦉 Join the Owl Team and our Guest, esteemed forensic accountant Dan Ramey on our upcoming 15-minute webinar session and discover the intricate world of illicit activities. The topic will be “Golden Shadows: Unmasking the Global Network of Fraud, smuggling, and Sanctions Evasion.” 💡 We invite you to register now so you can learn more about this impressive and dark world. Date: Tuesday, August 13, 2024 Time: 10:00 amESTt. Registration link: https://lnkd.in/eAsTH6MX Let's shed light on the shadowy world together. This event will be hosted live, and no recording will be made available, therefore be sure to tune in to build upon your investigative toolkit!